mizɯhaɕi paɽɯ̥si (♫) Parsee Mizuhashi | |
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 Parsee Mizuhashi in Subterranean Animism The Jealousy Beneath the Earth's CrustMore Character Titles | |
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| Abilities |
Manipulation of jealousy |
| Occupation |
Bridge Overseer |
| Location | |
Music Themes | |
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Appearances | |
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"I don't have anything against you, but I can make up lots of reasons to attack you."
— Parsee Mizuhashi (Subterranean Animism Stage 2)
Parsee Mizuhashi (水橋 パルスィ, Mizuhashi Parusi) is a hashihime, or bridge princess, capable of manipulating jealousy who guards the bridge between the surface world and the Underworld. Parsee first appeared as midboss and boss of Stage 2 in Subterranean Animism.
Parsee harbors intense feelings of jealousy due to being despised. No matter what situation the other person may be in, she'll always be jealous of it. Even if the other person is actually less fortunate, she will be jealous of the fact that they're not jealous. In this way, her jealousy is quite irrational. This isn't to say Parsee is actually unfortunate. If you were to talk to her directly, she would come off as completely normal – even a bit cheerful – but this masks the jealousy that she's actually feeling, and afterwards she will end up despising you and talking behind your back.
It is an ability from the legend of Hashihime. As a youkai who can be called the very embodiment of jealousy, she is able to manipulate those feelings in others. In relation to humans, it is a dreadful ability that can easily destroy them. She lives off of seeing the lives of those she introduces jealousy into being destroyed by it. This may be the reason she was sealed underground. She herself is deep in her own jealousy.
Parsee used to be a guardian, someone who would watch over those crossing her bridge to make sure they passed between the underground and the surface world safely. However, her own jealousy at those travelers eventually caused her to be able to control feelings of jealousy in others. Parsee also acts like a counselor to the spirits of the underground, however she only does this with the intent of gathering other people's grudges and making herself feel better in the process.[1]
The Hashihime (橋姫) is a mythical youkai that appears in various Japanese texts (Most notably the The Tale of Heike). After her husband left her and married another woman, the jealous and enraged Hashihime prays to the gods for revenge. A priest tells her a way: She has to dress herself in red and paint her face with the same color, her hair arranged with seven loops and crowned with a burning brazier, then spend 21 days under the Uji bridge while holding a metal rod. So deep was her rage and jealousy, that she actually did the entire process, becoming a vengeful youkai driven by jealousy that only appears in the vicinity of bridges that cross over water. She appears to loving couples, threatening to kill them both unless they break up right there and then. There is also a famous Noh Play about this mythological creature. [2][3][4][5]
According to ZUN in an interview in Chara☆Mel released with Cage in Lunatic Runagate Chapter 7, the term hashihito (波斯人) refers to Persians, and he thought it would be interesting to try to make a more foreign-looking character, a Persian hashihime in old-style clothes, even if she doesn't really look like a hashihime.[6]
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○２面ボス 地殻の下の嫉妬心 水橋パルスィ（みずはし パルスィ） 種族：橋姫 一応、地上と地下を結ぶ縦穴の番人というか守護神である。 だが、非常に嫉妬深く、楽しそうに移動している奴が気にくわない。 |
Stage 2 boss The Jealousy Beneath the Earth's Crust
Species: Bridge Princess Once, she was the protector, or guardian spirit, of the pit linking the underworld with the overworld. She watched over people to make sure that they could get to the underworld and back to the overworld safely. However, as she is extremely jealous, she couldn't stand the people who looked like they were having fun going to and fro. Whenever she saw someone like that, she would hinder their travel somehow. Jealousy only begets further jealousy, so as she went mad from her own jealousy, she became able to fan the flames of jealousy in the hearts of others. |
| Name | Translated | Comments | Works | Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total: 10 | ||||||
| 妬符「グリーンアイドモンスター」 | Jealousy Sign "Green-Eyed Monster" | SA GoM |
St. 2: E/N — | |||
| 嫉妬「緑色の眼をした見えない怪物」 | Envy "Green-Eyed Invisible Monster" | SA | St. 2: H/L | |||
| 花咲爺「華やかなる仁者への嫉妬」 | Grandpa Hanasaka "Jealousy of the Kind and Lovely" | SA | St. 2: E/N | |||
| 花咲爺「シロの灰」 | Grandpa Hanasaka "Shiro's Ashes" | SA GoM |
St. 2: H/L — | |||
| 舌切雀「謙虚なる富者への片恨」 | Tongue-Cut Sparrow "Hate for the Humble and Rich" | SA | St. 2: E/N | |||
| 舌切雀「大きな葛籠と小さな葛籠」 | Tongue-Cut Sparrow "Large Box and Small Box" | SA GoM |
St. 2: H/L — | |||
| 恨符「丑の刻参り」 | Malice Sign "Shrine Visit in the Dead of Night" | SA GoM |
St. 2: E/N — | |||
| 恨符「丑の刻参り七日目」 | Malice Sign "Day 7 of the Shrine Visits in the Dead of Night" | SA | St. 2: H/L | |||
| 嫉妬「ジェラシーボンバー」 | Jealousy "Jealousy Bomber" | DS GoU |
St. 2 — | |||
| 怨み念法「積怨返し」 | Resentment Art "Grudge Returning" | DS | St. 2 | |||
The name of Parsee's boss theme "Green-eyed Jealousy", as well as her midboss spell card and Double Spoiler title "The Green-Eyed Monster", are both terms used in Shakespeare's works to poetically describe jealousy.
Parsee Mizuhashi (水橋 パルスィ) is her full name. Her family name Mizuhashi (水橋) means "Water" (水) and "Bridge" (橋). Parsee is an alternative spelling of "Parsi", who are the members of the Indian Zoroastrian community. They descend from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to South Asia in the 8th century AD. Parsee's Persian theming is most likely a pun based on the word "Hashi" (波斯) being an old Japanese name for Persia homophonous with "bridge".
There's another possible connection with "Parsee" and jealousy, although this could be a coincidence; "jealousy" in Italian is "gelosia", which can also relate to "Venetian blinds". These blinds can also be called "persiana" in Italian, where that word can also mean "Persian" if in its feminine form (NB: "persiano" is the masculine form).
Some Japanese people tend to pronounce her personal name "Parsee" [paɽɯ̥si] as if it were "Parseeh" [paɽɯ̥siː] or "Parshee" [paɽɯ̥ɕiː], maybe because there's a customary rule of Japanese engineer's terms that they ought to omit the long vowel mark at the end of a word, unless it isn't a short word; for example, "アッセンブラ" (assembler) although it's normally spelled as "アッセンブラー". Therefore, the correct spelling for "パルスィ" is "パールスィー".
Parsee has wavy blond hair and green eyes, and her skin appears to have pale chartreuse tint to it. She wears a dress which resembles the traditional dresses of Iran's nomadic people, as well as Tocharians depicted in a 6th-century AD fresco from the Kizil Caves; the top is brown with purple borders, with a white criss-cross pattern and a pink sash. The bottom is blue and purple with again the white criss-cross pattern and black with criss-crossed red strings hanging on the bottom edge. The criss-cross patterns are evocative of a truss bridge. She has a pink scarf tied around her neck and pink puffy arm socks. Her SA appearance and other official artworks depict her with pointed ears.
In each scenario, Parsee wonders why a human has come to the Underworld. She is also unaware of the youkai that communicates with the heroine, which leads to various complications. Whether due to jealousy/anger with Reimu or Marisa's refusal to turn back, Parsee attacks and is defeated by the heroine.
In Double Spoiler, Parsee used a few spell cards and had Aya Shameimaru and Hatate Himekaidou taking photos of her and her danmaku.
Parsee made a background cameo appearance in Hopeless Masquerade on the Palace of Earth Spirits and the Youkai Tanuki Forest stage. She is seen behind all other characters with a glare.
She showed up to the Hakurei Fireworks Festival after Shinmyoumaru Sukuna and Seija Kijin took over, showcasing some of her dangerous danmaku.
Reimu Hakurei writes a fortune slip about Parsee as a way of cleaning up in the aftermath of an incident.
Suika Ibuki appears to recognize her in Reimu and Suika's scenario of Subterranean Animism.
Satori Komeiji seems to be sympathetic towards Parsee, calling her a kind person and interpreting her envy as admiration for others' good qualities.[7]
Parsee from Who's Who of Humans & Youkai - Dusk Edition
Parsee's fortune slip in Whispered Oracle of Hakurei Shrine
Parsee in Foul Detective Satori
Parsee's sigil as seen in The Grimoire of Marisa
 | This page is part of Project Characters, a Touhou Wiki project that aims to write proper descriptions for all official characters of Touhou Project. Please keep the character page guidelines in mind when contributing. |
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